Melanaspis pistaciae Hosseininaveh & Kaydan

Hosseininaveh, Fatemeh, Nozari, Jamasb, Kaydan, Mehmet Bora & Hosseininaveh, Vahid, 2016, Molecular and morphological identification of pistachio armored scale insects (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), with description of a new species, Zootaxa 4200 (4), pp. 523-543 : 530-532

Melanaspis pistaciae Hosseininaveh & Kaydan sp. n.

Figure 2 .

Material examined. Holotype. Adult female, Iran, Kerman, Kabotarkhan, N: 30°18 26", E: 56° 22' 51", 1,650 m, on branches and trunk of Pistacia vera , coll: F. Hosseininaveh, 26.viii.2012, coll. No: MK-123. Paratypes . 4 females on same slide as holotype; 5 adult females on 1 slide, Iran, Kerman, Rafsanjan, N: 30°22'30", E: 56°00'15", 1,530 m, on branches and trunk of P. vera , coll: F. Hosseininaveh, 26.viii.2012, coll. no: MR-121 ; 5 adult females on 1 slide, Iran, Kerman, Koshkoiye, N: 30°33'52", E: 55°36'43", 1,429 m, on branches and trunk of P. vera , coll: F. Hosseininaveh, 17.ix.2012, coll. no: MF-122 ; 5 adult females on 1 slide, Iran, Kerman, Davaran, N: 30°34'32", E: 56°10'44", 1,848 m, on branches and trunk of P. vera , coll: F. Hosseininaveh, 18.ix.2012, coll. no: MD-124 ; 5 adult females on 1 slide, Iran, Kerman, Zarnd, N: 30°50'00", E: 56°20'58", 1,600 m, on branches and trunk of Pistacia vera , coll: F. Hosseininaveh, 19.ix.2012, coll. no: MZ-125 ; 5 adult females on 1 slide, Iran, Kerman, Sarcheshme, N: 29°59'56", E: 55°42'57", 2,355 m, on branches and trunk of P. atlantica , coll: F. Hosseininaveh, 20.ix.2012, coll. no: MV-128.

Field Characters. Female scale cover large, about 2.2 mm long, robust, subcircular, convex, usually dark brown in central area, greyish brown or dark grey toward edges; larval exuviae eccentric but not marginal, colour dark; ventral scale well developed, but the greater part remains attached to the plant. Male puparium scale cover oval, about 1.8 mm long, convex anteriorly, flattened at apex, paler than female scale; larval exuviae eccentric, dark brown.

Slide-mounted characteristics. Adult female pyriform, 1.28–1.67 (1.48) mm long and 1.10–1.45 (1.25) mm wide, cephalothorax and anterior abdominal segments without sclerotized area. Thoracic tubercle absent. Antennae normally each with 1 or 2 long setae and 1 very small seta. Perispiracular pores absent. Distance from apex of median lobe to anteriormost edge of pygidial sclerotized area 0.3 times body length. Pygidium wide and obtuse, with 4 pairs of lobes (L1, L2, L3, L4). Median lobes (L1) each 14–18 (16) µm wide, lobes parallel, symmetrical, rounded, each with 1 lateral notch and 1 clear medial notch; separated by space 0.1–0.3 (0.3) times width of median lobe; medial margins with axes parallel or diverging apically, lateral margins converging apically. Second lobes (L2) each 15–18 (17) µm wide, asymmetrical, barely wider than median lobe, with 3 lateral notches and 1 medial notch. Third lobes (L3) each 16–19 (17) µm wide, asymmetrical, about same size as second lobe, with 4 lateral notches and 1 medial notch. Fourth lobes (L4) simple, each 8–13 (10) µm wide, generally reduced, pressed into margin of segment V and slightly protruding. Pectinae very short, reduced to small and very protruding plates, the lateralmost ones generally most developed, formula commonly 1-2-2. Marginal paraphyses robust, fusiform and approximately all the same size; paraphysis formula always 2-3-3. Margin of segment V heavily sclerotized. Anal opening inverted pyriform, maximum width 0.7 times less than width of L1, located relatively high, almost in the central area of the pygidium. Dorsal macroducts very long, with oval orifices, ducts from some groups extend over entire height of pygidium; with 2 macroducts between L1 and L2 each 173–208 (189) µm long; an oblique row of 6 or 7 large macroducts each 178–220 (201) µm long in cuticular groove between L2 and L3, each orifice surrounded by a clear membranous area; 4 or 5 smaller macroducts present in sclerotized part of segment IV; marginal area of segment V with 21–31 (26) macroducts along its entire length, each 84–99 (91) µm long. Dorsal macroducts absent between prepygidial segments and head. Oblique and transverse dorsal cuticular grooves of pygidium well marked. Microducts absent from dorsum but numerous on venter of abdominal segments II and III, in groups of 10–18, each 25–32 (29) µm long; 3 of these groups present in submarginal areas of segments IV and V. Apico-ventral area of pygidium with slightly oblique longitudinal sclerotization, extending almost to vulva. Three papillate appendages (each 2.5 µm long and 1.5 µm wide) present in submarginal area of pygidial segments VI–VIII, situated anteriorly to L1, L2 and third group of paraphyses.

Comment. Melanaspis pistaciae Hosseininaveh & Kaydan sp. n. closely resembles M. inopinata in having: (i) four pairs of pygidial lobes (L1, L2, L3, L4); (ii) reduced pectinae in the formula 1-2-2, with the lateralmost ones generally more developed; (iii) marginal paraphyses approximately all the same size in the formula 2-3-3, and (iv) margin of fifth abdominal segment heavily sclerotized with macroducts along its entire length. However, M. pistaciae differs from M. inopinata in having: (i) L1, L2 and L3 each with a distinct notch in the medial margin (absent in M. inopinata ); (ii) margin of fifth abdominal segment with 21–31 (26) macroducts (13–19 (16) in M. inopinata ); and (iii) distance from the apex of the median lobe to the anteriormost edge of the sclerotized area 0.3 times body length (0.2 in M. inopinata ).

Etymology. This species was named after its host plant, Pistacia vera , to reflect the high levels of infestation in pistachio orchards.

Hosts. Pistacia vera L., P. atlantica Desf. (Anacardiaceae) .

Distribution. Iran.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Adult female of Melanaspis pistaciae Hosseininaveh & Kaydan, sp. n. holotype.